Regardless, chances are good you'll find decent asparagus on any given grocery day. A couple tips, though. Asparagus stalks should be firm, the ends compact and lacking the sort of mushy, shiny appearance they can take on when they're getting a little old. You'll want to store asparagus in the refrigerator, either cutting the ends like flower stems and placing in a cup of water or leaving them loosely wrapped in the produce bag, popping a hole in the bag to ensure good air circulation, and you'll need to use asparagus within a couple days. I've gone five days with a really fresh bunch, but three days really is the rule of thumb.
Asparagus can be cooked many different ways. It can be poached, steamed, roasted, grilled, sauteed, or just munched on raw. Whatever floats your boat. If you do decide to cook your asparagus, as with most veggies, the shorter your cook time, the less chance you have of an overdone, limp vegetable that never even heard of being green. Now, I'm a fan from way back of poaching asparagus with a couple cloves of garlic, some salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil, until it takes on a sort of olive-green tone after about 45 minutes. I'm not sure how much nutritional value remains at the end of the cooking process, but I have a soft spot in my heart for this particular style of cooking.
My mom used to poach an egg in the pan for good measure. I never quite understood that part. But then, eggs and I generally don't get along when they're present outside of cakes, cookies, and brownies.
However, I needed a quicker fix for some asparagus. I've done the roasting process, but I wanted to shake it up a bit. I also had some mushrooms and grape tomatoes that needed to be used. So I got a little experimental.
